Homemade Caramel Filling for Cupcakes and Cakes

This is hands down the best homemade caramel filling for cupcakes and cakes! It's sticky, buttery, silky, and very well-balanced in sweetness. Trust me, you won't be able to stop eating it.

Best caramel filling recipe

You won´t believe that this easy caramel filling is made in 5 minutes using only 4 simple ingredients! It is super easy and quick, even for beginners! Homemade caramel sauce is really one of the baking basics worth mastering.

The glucose syrup is what makes this caramel sauce recipe so fool-proof and guarantees the perfect texture (no more rock-hard caramel). It also prevents it from being too sweet.

Glucose syrup is typically made from the hydrolysis of starch, such as cornstarch, and it is widely used by pastry chefs when making ice cream or candy. It is less sweet than sugar and has some practical advantages, such as supporting a softer texture, and not crystallizing when cooked.

This homemade caramel cake and cupcake filling is honestly so versatile. You can use it in so many ways. It is the perfect cake filling for special occasions, and I also love to use it in chocolate caramel cupcakes, a chocolate caramel tart, and my caramel Banana tart.

If this is your first time making caramel, it can be daunting. But I have included all the expert tips and tricks to help you achieve perfect results every time and a step-by-step tutorial. You'll never buy store-bought caramel sauce again!

How to make caramel filling for cupcakes

Melt the sugar and glucose syrup in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. There is no need to stir, although it is ok to stir the mixture a few times with a heatproof rubber spatula.

In the meantime, heat the heavy cream in a separate saucepan just until simmering, but do not boil.

Once the melted sugar mixture turns golden brown, turn the stove down so the pan is over medium heat. Be careful not to burn the caramel; watch for that amber color to know when it is ready.

Pour in the hot cream and whisk the caramel with a hand whisk or rubber spatula. The mixture will bubble rapidly, but don't worry; this is normal. Be careful of spatters, though. Cook the caramel for another 1-2 minutes.

Remove the homemade caramel filling from the heat and pour it into a large bowl that will allow it to cool as quickly as possible. The temperature needs to come down to about 40C / 104F.

Add the softened butter in 3 stages, stirring vigorously between each addition. Please note that the butter won't get incorporated if the butter is too cold, or the caramel is too warm, or if you add too much butter at once. It is OK to use a hand whisk, rubber spatula, or hand blender.

Once the butter is incorporated, transfer the caramel into a clean jar or container and use it according to your recipe.

How to make caramel without glucose syrup

Here is another version of the homemade caramel filling recipe that is absolutely delicious, but made without glucose syrup. Please note that due to the lack of glucose syrup, it hardens more than the glucose syrup version. You will need:

• 200g  / 1 cup granulated sugar
• 75 g / ⅓ cup softened unsalted butter
• 120g / ½ cup g warm heavy cream

Melt the sugar in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Do not stir, as it can encourage the sugar to crystallize.

When the sugar has fully dissolved and turned golden brown in color, whisk in the soft, room-temperature butter in 3 stages. It will bubble, and this is normal, but be careful.

Once the butter is fully incorporated, slowly pour warm heavy cream into the mixture and boil for a minute. It will bubble and rise slightly but keep whisking for one more minute.

Wet caramel vs dry caramel

It is useful to know that there are two different methods to melt granulated sugar for caramel: wet caramel and dry caramel. Wet caramel is the method where sugar is dissolved in a little water and then caramelized. With a dry caramel, sugar is melted directly and caramelized on its own. In this homemade caramel cupcake filling recipe, I use dry caramel.

No candy thermometer is needed to make this caramel filling recipe as we judge the color of the caramel instead. However, if you decide to use one, here are the different sugar stages. We are aiming for stage 9.

1. Small thread 104-105C / 219-221F
2. Pearl 107C / 225F
3. Soft ball 115C / 239F
4. Firm ball 117C / 243F
5. Hard ball 120-121C / 248-250F
6. Soft crack 130-135C / 266-275F
7. Hard crack 140-145C / 284-293F
8. Light caramel 160C / 320F
9. Caramel 180C / 356F

What equipment to use

Always weigh ingredients by the gram with a digital scale for precision. Baking is a science!

Combine the ingredients in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and use a rubber spatula (make sure it is heatproof).

If you are concerned about melting sugar and temperatures, invest in an infrared thermometer gun.

Storing and freezing

You can store homemade caramel cake filling in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.

Please note that even with the addition of glucose syrup, this caramel sauce will still set to a harder texture in the fridge. If you will use it as a cake or cupcake filling, I suggest bringing it to room temperature first.

Storing homemade caramel in sterilized preserving jars will help it to last longer. To sterilize glass containers for homemade fillings, curds, and jams, either place them in a saucepan of boiling water for 10 minutes or on a tray in the oven at 120C/250F for 10 minutes.

Flavor variations

You can turn this homemade caramel filling for cakes and cupcakes into homemade salted caramel sauce by adding 1-2 teaspoons of good-quality sea salt to the mixture.

Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to add delicious vanilla undertones to the caramel filling.

Ingredient substitutions

If you substitute ingredients in this homemade caramel recipe, please remember to adjust the quantities and ratios of the other ingredients, too. Unfortunately, I cannot provide instructions to accommodate every diet.

Some recipes refer to using corn syrup, which is a type of glucose syrup and they can be interchanged in most recipes, including this one.

Did you know that you can make butter yourself? If you have run out, you can use homemade butter for caramel cake filling.

See my list of baking guides to learn more about the possible substitutions and how they may affect the recipe.

Expert tips to make caramel filling

The heavy cream and butter need to have a high-fat content. The heavy cream needs to have a fat content between 36% and 40%. The one I use is 36%. I use European-style, 82% fat-content unsalted butter in all my recipes.

While melting sugar, please watch it all the time, and definitely do not walk away. As the sugar melts, it darkens; it develops complex aromas and flavors that taste less sweet than sugar itself and become super delicious. Some people refer to it as liquid gold!

Do not boil the cream, only heat it to a simmering point. If it boils, it can lose some of its volume.

If you are concerned that the caramel contains crystalized sugar, you can run it through a sieve before adding the butter. However, this is unlikely if you have added the glucose syrup.

It is very important that the butter is at room temperature, which will take around an hour out of the fridge. If the butter is too cold, it won't incorporate properly into the homemade caramel sauce. But if the butter is melted, it won't emulsify properly.

Try some of my other cake fillings

If you enjoyed making this easy caramel filling recipe, try some of my other cake fillings next.

• Oreo Frosting is made for all the Oreo lovers.
• Homemade Biscoff spread tastes amazing on its own, or spread onto cakes, cupcakes, and brownies.
• Mango curd adds some tropical flavor to desserts and tastes fantastic with caramel.
• Nutella frosting has that signature nutty, chocolate taste that is perfect on cakes.
• Chantilly cream is a classic French cake filling that goes with everything.
• Chocolate whipped cream will make you everyone's favorite person!

If you are a caramel lover like me, check out my collection of caramel desserts. Homemade caramels taste delicious drizzled over ice cream, chocolate chip cookies, or just on a spoon! Or try my caramel buttercream frosting recipe, which combines my American buttercream with room-temperature homemade caramel sauce.

And now you've seen that making homemade caramel is easy. Read about these layer cakes for more delicious and easy-to-follow baking recipes you can use this homemade caramel cake filling.

Have you tried this recipe?

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